Vintage style skirt from a curtain

One idea for a quick and easy sew is drafting a skirt from an old curtain. You can often find great vibrant prints on charity shop curtains!

The curtain that I chose was half of a pair of curtains which was discounted to 50p in one of my local charity shops. Cut the heading tape off (as it will be too much hassle to unpick it).

To begin the fit, measure the waist (I am doing it on a size 28inch waist dummy) once you know the waist size add 3inches (31 inch) and then divide that by four ( rounded up to 8 inches) which gives the length of the waist.

On the fold of the curtain, from the edge, mark the quarter divided width (8 inches) across and mark 1 inch down from the top on the one inch mark start at the bottom mark and finish at the top (as illustrated). The length is dependant on what suits you, adding in a 2 inch hem. Draw this line from the waist and then cut on the fold. Repeat to have two skirt pieces.

Cut a waistband from the hem of the curtain (x2 31 inch strips). Sew these together lengthwise with right sides together. Sew one side of the skirt together. Sew the waistband to the top of the skirt (top stitched). To sew up, use a 6 inch zip on the skirt element (not the waistband), sew the other seam together up to where the zip ends. Insert the zip at the top of the join, fasten the waistband with three hook and eyes. Hem the bottom, done.